Buffalo Bills News - April 22, 2002

Drew Bledsoe: Just the facts [6:15 AM]D and C reports:
'Bledsoe is New England's all-time leader in completions (2,544), attempts (4,518) and yards (29,657), and he ranks second in TD passes with 166 behind only Steve Grogan (182). Bledsoe also owns the single-game and single-season team marks in completions, attempts and yards.'

Bills marketing plan promotes family image [6:15 AM]Business First of Buffalo reports:
'Donahoe, just a little more than year on the job in Buffalo, said that is a leading question among the many letters he receives from fans. Credit the Bills, who are seriously trying to develop and re-develop a stronger fan base, with responding.'

Bledsoe betters Bills [6:14 AM]Toronto Sun reports:
'In the end, Tom Donahoe realized he could expend a decade of first-round picks and possibly never come close to drafting a player with Drew Bledsoe's talent.'

Bledsoe is traded to Bills [6:13 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'The trading of Bledsoe was the last act of a personal passion play in New England, a story that began as a love affair with a kid from the West Coast and ended as a drama filled with broken promises, angry words (although most of them were mumbled under the breath of the people involved), and the emergence of a second kid from the West Coast who took the Patriots to one of the most unexpected Super Bowl victories in NFL history.'

Patriots get 2003 first-rounder [6:12 AM]Boston Globe reports:
'It was a bold move to trade Bledsoe to a divisional rival on the upswing. The Bills drafted well, have up-and-coming players, and now have the quarterback they were missing. All of that may diminish the value of the draft pick New England gets.'

Pats deal Bledsoe to Bills [6:11 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'In Buffalo, Bills officials opened up the box office to accommodate fans who began lining up after news of the trade broke. There was a steady stream of buyers throughout the afternoon.'

Drew gave his all [6:10 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'There should be no doubt the Patriots kept the better quarterback with the bigger upside and the brighter future.'

No downside to this deal [6:09 AM]Boston Herald reports:
'Going strictly by on-field performances, the Bills get the edge because they now have a legitimate quarterback around whom to continue their rebuilding. Alex Van Pelt had his moments last year in relief of the ineffective and departed Rob Johnson, but he's hardly a long-term resolution to the passing problem.'

Patriots send Drew to Bills [6:09 AM]Metro West Daily News reports:
'From a financial standpoint, the Patriots save $1 million this season by trading Bledsoe. But under league rules, the team will still carry $6 million for Bledsoe on this year's approximate $72-million salary cap. Buffalo assumes Bledsoe's contract, a 10-year, $103-million package that was signed March 7, 2001.'

Drew Crew gives way to Bill's Boys [6:08 AM]Metro West Daily News reports:
'Patriots-Bills? Pats fans, welcome to your rivalry of the '00s. Just like Patriots-Jets made this region buzz after Bill Parcells defected in 1997, this is what we're looking at over the next five years.'

All together: 'Thanks, Drew' [6:06 AM]Providence Journal reports:
'In many ways he was the franchise. He was the star quarterback, the most recognizable name, the public face for the Patriots. He was the one player who transcended football around here, the one name everyone in New England knew, even if they didn't know a blitz from a post pattern.'

Bledsoe is traded to Bills [6:04 AM]Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports:
'The deal apparently went over well in Buffalo. Even before it was announced, the Bills opened their box office to accommodate fans who heard the trade was imminent. Buffalo, which failed to sell out four of its eight home games last season, drew 504,709 fans last year, the lowest since 1987.'

Drew tapped to fill the bill [6:03 AM]Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports:
'Drew Bledsoe became a Bill yesterday afternoon because Donahoe, Buffalo's team president and general manager, was more worried about going into next season without the strong-armed former Pro Bowl QB than Belichick was worried about going into training camp with him.'

Bills Meet Pats' Price [6:02 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'Bledsoe, who appeared at the early April White House ceremony honoring the Patriots, hasn't talked to Belichick since the season ended.'

Bledsoe Never Lost Dignity [6:01 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'Even when he was the star, Bledsoe never publicly criticized his teammates.'

Chatter Box [6:00 AM]Hartford Courant reports:
'There is a certain amount of arrogance attached to the Bledsoe trade, otherwise the Patriots would not have dealt him to a division rival. Kraft could have taken less and spared Bledsoe the humiliation of having to revisit Foxboro twice a year for the remainder of his career. Bledsoe will undoubtedly suck it up and take playing the Patriots as an extra special challenge.'

Pats Trade Bledsoe To Division-Rival Bills [5:59 AM]New York Daily News reports:
'In fact, if the Bills are a bad team again, which would be no surprise at all, it will strengthen the defending Super Bowl champs, who after yesterday's trade now own Buffalo's No. 1 pick in 2003, which could easily be in the top five.'

Bills drew draft-day winner [5:58 AM]New York Post reports:
'The Patriots, willing to trade their former franchise quarterback within the division after all, accepted a No. 1 draft pick in 2003 for Bledsoe, and heavens to Jim Kelly, the Bills are contenders again.'

Pats Trade Bledsoe To Bills for '03 Pick [5:57 AM]New York Newsday reports:
'"We all knew what the situation was," Belichick said of his quarterbacks, Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady. "A football team can have only one starting quarterback."'

Patriots trade Bledsoe to Bills for pick next year [5:56 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'Bledsoe has a $5 million salary this season, $5.5 million in 2003 and $6 million in 2004. On Nov. 1, 2004, the Bills will have to decide whether to pay a $7 million option that triggers the remainder (2005-2010) of the contract.'

Buffalo bound [5:54 AM]Houston Chronicle reports:
'Bledsoe told the Patriots he would retire rather than return for his 10th season as a backup to Brady and that he preferred to remain in the AFC East. He turned down a chance to be dealt to Cincinnati.'

Patriots Trade Drew Bledsoe to Bills for Draft Pick [5:52 AM]Bloomberg reports:
'"For many reasons and at many levels, this was a difficult trade to make,'' Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "He gave our fans some of the greatest memories in the franchise's history. Drew Bledsoe is a special player."'

Beyond Bledsoe, Bills plug holes with six more draft picks [5:51 AM]AP reports:
'"It's a significant difference from when I came here a year ago, let alone at the end of the season," Williams said. "Obviously, we've improved it in a lot of different ways. But now it comes time to continue to work. When we open up training camp, we've all got to be on the same page."'